Manual on Wood-destroying Insects and their Monitoring by Dr. rer. nat. Uwe Noldt and Dr. biol. Guna Noldt Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institute (vTI) / Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries Institute of Wood Technology and Wood Biology (HTB) Leuschnerstrasse 91d; 21031 Hamburg/Germany (E-mail) [email protected]; (tel) +49-40 - 739 62 433; (fax) +49-40 - 739 62 499; (website) www.vti.bund.de and University of Hamburg, Department Biology, Centre of Wood Science Leuschnerstrasse 91d; 21031 Hamburg/Germany The project is part-financed by the European Union Central Baltic INTERREG IVA programme 2007-2013 Insect and Monitoring Manual Uwe Noldt / Guna Noldt Contents 1. Before inspection....................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Equipment ................................................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Prior information....................................................................................................................... 4 2. Assessment of an object ............................................................................................................ 4 2.1 General classification of building ............................................................................................. 4 Outside/exterior......................................................................................................................... 4 Inside/interior ............................................................................................................................ 4 2.2 General and detailed questions to be considered referring to damages caused by insects........ 4 3. Assessment of damages of wood-destroying insects ................................................................ 6 3.1 Bore dust................................................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Openings in wood...................................................................................................................... 9 3.2.1 Emergence holes ....................................................................................................................... 9 3.2.2 Tunnels, cavities, other openings .............................................................................................. 9 3.3 Insects (general)...................................................................................................................... 14 3.3.1 Insects (adults)......................................................................................................................... 14 3.3.2 Insects (larvae)........................................................................................................................ 14 3.4 Selected insect species of importance and their damages and biology, characteristic damages and antagonists. ....................................................................................................................... 15 3.5 Monitoring measures............................................................................................................... 26 Insect and Monitoring Manual Uwe Noldt / Guna Noldt 1. Before inspection 1.1 Equipment Not shown: 01 Measuring device (meter, cm-cards, etc.) Extra batteries 02 Compass/ magnifying device / thermometer Charger 03 Glass and/or plastic containers Tweezers 04 (Swiss) knife Pincer 05 Video light Hammer 06 Magnifying glass/device, hand lens Pins 07 Torch Paint brush (small) 08 Wood moisture meter 09 Identification guide/book Notebook 10 Pencil, ballpoint-pen, marker, etc. Laptop/netbook 11 Sticky points (colored!!!) 12 Exhaustor (for crawling insects) Monitoring paper, traps, etc. (see Annex 10) 13 Camera (plus flash) 14 Chisel Boroscope 15 Axe Other equipment, meters, sensors 16 Plastic bags 17 College block, notebook, etc. Insect and Monitoring Manual Uwe Noldt / Guna Noldt 1.2 Prior information on respective object • History of building (e.g., use of building) • Plan drawings, sketches, photographs, other documents • Interview with owner, persons in charge, etc. • Renovations and restaurations? When renoveted or restaured? • Introduced / build-in wooden parts and objects and time of introduction? • Use of wood preservatives and date of application? Which ones (specify)? Application? • Other control measures applied? When applied? • Extensive building damages (especially leakages) in former times? • Heating regime? Entire building or parts heated sporadically or regularly? • Ventilation regime? Windows, doors, etc. opened sporadically or regularly? 2. Assessment of an object 2.1 General classification of building • Cathedral, church, chapel • Ensemble/farmstead (main building, barn, stable, sauna, etc.; specify also usage) • (Dwelling) house (with cellar, 1st to nth floor, attic; rooms to be specified) • (Wind) mill (floors to be specified) • Other building (specify) Outside/exterior • Location (in town/village, in/near forest, near lake/river/etc.; specify) • Damages by organisms (fungi, insects, algae, bacteria, etc.; specify) • Material/constructional damages (obvious damages at glance; specify) • Trees and other plants in direct vicinity (specify) • Sources of humidity/moisture/rain, etc. Inside/interior (e.g., for a church) • Wooden construction (Wing assembly, roof construction, flooring, panelling, beams, rafters, etc.) • Wooden objects • Stationary: Altar(s), pulpit, benches, organ, confession booth, gallery, stairs, tower, roof(s), others (specify) • Movable: Picture frames, tables, cupboards, others (specify) • Other damages (wall cracks, moisture, discoloration, dampness, corrosion, etc.; specify) 2.2 General and detailed questions to be considered specifically referring to damages caused by insects 2.2.1 Are there wooden objects and/or wooden constructions in the building? • What kind of wooden parts are there? (objects, artefacts, constructions, floor boards, others) • Are the wooden parts covered my surface layers (paints, varnish, plastic, etc.)? • Are there other materials covering the wood/timber? (cloths, leather, cardboard, etc.) • Are the wooden parts covered by bark or parts of bark? • Are the wooden parts treated with wood preservatives? (colour, smell, written notices, word of mouth, etc.) • Which wood species are the parts made of? (resinous/softwoods, hardwoods, wood species) Insect and Monitoring Manual Uwe Noldt / Guna Noldt 2.2.2 Are there any damages visible in or on the wooden parts? (caused by insects, fungi, moulds; or of mechanical or chemical origin) 2.2.3 Are there signs of insect attack in the wooden parts? a) Is there bore dust (= gnawing particles + fecal pellets/frass) in the vicinity of the wooden parts? (see pp. 6 - 9) • Are there distinctly shaped particles in the bore dust? (use naked eye, magnifying glass) • What is the shape of the particles? (cylindrical, round, spindle-like, irregular, fibrous, divers) • What is the color of the bore dust? (unique, different, specific color) • What is the consistency of the bore dust? (powdery, crumbly, dough-like, solid, fine, coarse, other) • Is the bore dust accumulated in distinct heaps? (flat, tipped, with traces, other) • Is the bore dust accumulated in trickling traces on vertical surfaces? b) Are there (emergence) holes in the surfaces of the wooden objects? (see pp. 9 - 13) • What is the shape of these holes? (ovoid, circular, irregular, divers) • What is the size of these holes? (mm, cm) • What is the color of the holes? (light-/dark-colored, different from original wood) • Are the holes closed or filled with some other material? (hint to secondary insects) c) Are there holes or tunnels obviously only in the surface layers? • Are there holes which are only superficial and end blindly? • Are there tunnels which run only superficially? d) Are parts of the wood broken off? • Are bore tunnels visible? (see pp. 9 – 11, 13) o What is the shape of the tunnel cross-section? (ovoid, circular, cavity-like) o What color are the tunnel surfaces? (light-, dark-colored) o Are there distinct patterns of tunnels? (distinct shapes, only in early wood, cavities) o Are the tunnels empty? (totally, in part, only near surface) o Are the tunnels filled with bore dust? (stuffed, loose) o Are they filled with other materials (dead insects, leaf material, organic accumulations) • Are there massive damages visible? (see pp. 9, 11, 13) o Are there damages with lamellar structures and larger cavities? o Are these damages irregularly structured? • Are parts cracked or broken in part or completely? • Are the wooden surfaces warped/corrugated or irregularly folded? • Are there discolorations of the natural wood surface? e) Is there other material in the vicinity of the wooden parts? (fruit bodies, spores, biofilms, etc.) 2.2.4 Are there insects visible in the vicinity of the wood? (beetles, wasps, ants, moths, termites, other) Insect and Monitoring Manual Uwe Noldt / Guna Noldt • What is the shape/habitus of the insect(s)? • What is the color of the insect(s)? • What is the size of the insect(s)? • Are these insects all alike or different from one another? • Are the insects occurring in large quantity? • Are the insects occurring everywhere in the entity? • Are the insects occurring in distinct places? • Are insects visible in or near corners, window sills, spider webs, light sources, etc.? • Are there accumulations of insect parts somewhere?